Article 5 - Providence

we as we begin I want you to read with me article 5 of the confession and understand this the the the titles that come in this are actually added later the original writing of the confession did not have these titles but a later writer came in and added them on so we're using the titles I think it's I think they're correct I'm just saying that we're calling each one by the title that's in this book and so the title of article 5 is providence and this is what it says God in his infinite power and wisdom doth dispose all things to the end for which they were created that neither good nor evil befalls any by chance or without his providence and that whatsoever befalls the elect is by his appointment for his glory and their good so tonight we're going to talk about a theological distinction that I think is important for us to understand theologians are made or rather are known for making distinctions because this is how we understand truth as we distinguish between one thing and something else and so oftentimes you will hear us talk about the sovereignty of God the sovereignty of God and then you heard last week me talk about the decree of God that was my lesson which was article three and tonight we're going to talk about the providence of God and I want to in my time at least for the first few moments of my time distinguish between what these three words mean because we do often use them somewhat synonymously but yet each one of them has a distinguishable meaning and understanding them will help us understand better this article because you might say that article 5 and article 3 which I taught on last week are somewhat superfluous they both are talking about God's sovereignty but they're talking about two different aspects of God's sovereignty so when we say sovereignty what we are referring to is we are referring to God's rule sovereignty refers to rule if you if you think of a sovereign nation what does that mean self-rule right it doesn't depend on another nation it's a sovereign nation there is a king in some countries what do they call the king he is the sovereign of that nation there are people who believe in something called sovereign citizenship you ever heard that sovereign citizenship is the idea that every American is his own ruler and therefore there shouldn't be any laws that govern those individuals and some of those people have tried to for instance not pay taxes because they are sovereign citizens and many of those sovereign citizens have ended up in the jail of a greater sovereign so it's just interesting though when you think of the word sovereign it's the word for rule or the or another word would be authority or power so let's put authority here when we say God is sovereign we are saying God is the ruler he is the authority he has all power he is God to say that God is sovereign as a W pink said to say that God is sovereign is simply to say God is God because you can't have an unsovereign God all right you can't have a non-sovereign sovereign because God means sovereign and sovereign means God he's sovereign right so sovereign is his power now the decree is God's purposeful and perfect plan so the decree refers to God's plan how he is exercising his rule is first by planning his world you know the Bible talks about God being outside of time I don't understand how that works I really don't I don't understand a timeless being I don't understand an infinite being I had a I was I did a podcast earlier I was talking about modernism and post-modernism that was my topic this week for the podcast and I was interviewing somebody about that and we got to talking about the the idea of understanding the concept of just being itself and time and and we can understand things without comprehending them like I understand God is eternal but I don't comprehend what it means really to be eternal I can understand God is outside of time but I really don't comprehend what it means to be outside of time and God in his decree decreed all things before time began he had a plan and that plan is being worked out and that's what leads us to number three Providence is the exercise of that plan or might a better word might be his governing so God has a plan that's the decree God exercises his rule his his sovereignty in working out that plan the decree through Providence which happens in time you see the decree is outside of time the decree is is God determining this before time began but the Providence of God is his working in our lives as it were daily interacting in our lives in working out his decree so this is the sovereignty of God is God has a plan and he's working that plan out he is he is active he is not a passive deity who sits on Neptune somewhere twiddling his thumb thumbs wondering when we're going to get it all figured out but God is see this is where we talk about the transcendence and the eminence of God God is transcendent in the sense that he is high above us and yet he is also eminent in that the Bible says he's not far from any of us right Acts 17 Paul says he's not far from any of us so when we think of the concept of Providence it is the outworking of his sovereignty and the exercising of his decree in time A.W.

Pink said this and by the way if you don't know who A.W.

Pink is remedy that okay A.W.

Pink is worth your time to read all right the Providence of God and his care of and provision he makes for his creatures with his supervision and superintendents of them the Providence of God in his government of the world is a subject of deep importance for the Christian for by proper views thereof he will learn to see God's activity in the daily works of his hands here that last part again that's really the part I want to stress by proper views of sovereignty he that being us will learn to see God's activities in the daily works of his hands we'll see God working in our daily lives as we begin to understand his Providence better you know I hear people say sometimes well that was a God thing you know and I understand that phrase you ever heard that phrase I'm gonna say that's a God thing like they'll run into somebody and they'll get to share the gospel to say that was a God thing or they'll they'll you know have some kind of something happen that's a God everything's a God thing you know what nobody ever says I got real sick today and I spent all day vomiting that was a God thing but it was yeah I mean nobody wants to think that way but you see Providence is God working in everything even the hard times there are certain things that we're all going through some of them good some of them bad you know and it's all a God thing God may be sanctifying us through some of the hardest moments in our life right now or God may be blessing us in a way that we never understood before and now we're getting to enjoy that blessing now it's all a God thing and it's hard sometimes when the when the bank account is empty it's hard sometimes when the children's tummies are not filled it's hard sometimes when three or four creditors are calling at once to see how God is working and yet he still is that's the key to Providence is that God is still working all the time there's a song God is good all the time and we only want to sing it when things are good and yet that's not the point of the song the point is God is good anyway and see that's the heart of Providence right because Providence is not just that God's working it's a God's working it for our good last year I was asked to speak at the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals Southeast Regional Conference that's a mouthful but I spoke and I was asked to speak on the subject of comforting the Saints come how to comfort the Saints and it was during the crisis you know the COVID thing and everything and and I was asked to come down and speak how do you comfort people in the midst of crisis I preached Romans 828 God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose that was my text that was what I preach saying messages up if anybody ever wants to go listen to it but that's the that's that verse is the Providence verse of the Bible in fact I think it's on here isn't it isn't it one of the listed passages yes it's the last one on the text are on the on the list of texts Romans 828 that is the verse that reminds us that God is working all things and by the way there's a textual variant there some of the some of the text read all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose but some manuscripts and I think the variant is actually the better reading of what Paul was trying to say some some of them say God causes all things to work together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose it puts God in the driver's seat when it's read that way and I think it's actually the better reading because God is the one in the driver's seat even when things are tough God is the one in the driver's seat even when things are hard even when your heart is broken God is in the driver's seat Providence is essential because it denotes that God is working our lives with wisdom and care he does not exercise his rule as an evil dictator or a vicious despot he exercises his rule as a loving father now I know we are looking at our confession but for a moment I want to compare another historic document how many of you have ever heard of the Heidelberg catechism it's one of what's referred to as one of the three forms of unity it was one of the things that brought the Reformed Church together you have the Heidelberg catechism the no not the Westminster it's an older confession Belgic confession Heidelberg catechism these are these are documents that were held in high esteem among the Reformers and the Heidelberg catechism speaks of Providence it says this what do you understand by the Providence of God and I love the way it words it it says the Almighty everywhere present power of God whereby as it were by his hand he upholds heaven and earth with all creatures and governs them that this is funny he so governs them that herbs and grass rain and drought fruitful and barren years meat and drink health and sickness riches and poverty indeed all things come not by chance but by his fatherly hand now go back to our confession what does it say neither good nor evil befalls any by chance that's the point like brother Andy he took a little portion he said this is the point and I think he was right the point is not under compulsion that that was the point of the last one the point of this one is really to push the idea that God doesn't do things by chance in fact dr.

RC Sproul wrote a book I think the book was called not a chance was that the name of the book where he basically explains that the idea of chance for people who believe the earth came about by chance the world came about by chance it's so foolish because chance isn't something that has any causative power I read a quote from dr.